By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Eighteen-year-old tennis darling Alex Eala delivered one pleasant news just before Jesus’ resurrection.
This after Eala and French partner Estelle Cascino dug deep into their bag of tricks to shock their top-seeded rivals Great Britain’s Maia Lumsden and hometown bet Jessika Ponchet, 7-5, 7-6 (4), and capture the doubles title in the W75 Croissy-Beaubourg International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournament in France on Saturday evening, March 30.
The unseeded pair came through with a variety of wicked shots and solid returns to cap their glorious run in the $75,000 event, having beaten second seeded No. 2 British Emily Appleton and Dutch Isabelle Haverlag, 6-4, 6-0 in the quarters.
It was the second ITF doubles title for Eala after winning the W50 Pune in India with Latvian partner Darja Semenistaja last January, and 23rd doubles crown for the 28-year-old Cascino, who is ranked No. 146 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) doubles.
In that event, Eala and Semenistaja also downed the top-seeded pair of Naiktha Bains and Fanny Stollar, 7-6 (8), 6-3.
Eala and Cascino survived Swiss Celine Naef and Indian Prarthana G. Thombare in the opening round, 5-7, 6-2, 10-6, before sweeping Appleton and Haverlagand Kira Pavlova and Luxembourg’s Marie Weckerie, 6-3, 6-3.
The win somehow made up for Eala’s failed singles campaign, where she finished in the second round after losing to Germany’s Mona Barthel, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.
Cascino was also unsuccessful in the singles, bowing in her first qualifying round match to Elena Pridankina, 6-2, 6-2.
The victory is also expected to boost Eala’s doubles ranking where she is currently at No. 305. She went as high as No. 278 early this month.
